“You’re not?” No, that can’t be right. The pilot is clearly spelling my name wrong. Probably switching the I and the E. I stare up at the plane, hoping with everything I have that the letters will magically change.
“No. I’m trying to break up with you.”
My eyes snap to his face. “What?”
“Listen, there’s no good way to say this. I want to see other people. Well, one person. I met someone. At work.”
“You…met someone.” My head spins. The letter is definitely an E, not an I. Followed by another one that looks like it’s going to be an N. No, no, no, that can’t be right. This isn’t how this lunch is supposed to go at all.
“I was trying to break it to you easily.” Parker shakes his head. “Shit. I can’t believe you thought I was proposing.”
I stare at him, my mouth dry. Behind his head, the letters clearly spell a name that isn’t my own. Somewhere nearby, a guy named Allen is getting engaged and I’m not.
When I can speak, my voice is small. “But the restaurant. The flowers.”
“I completely forgot we went here on our first date. It’s a convenient spot near my office, that’s all. And I brought the flowers because I feel bad.” He folds his hands on the table. “Especially because I need you to move out.”
I reach for my glass of water, but his words shock me so much I knock it over. The water spreads across the table and onto Parker’s lap. Who, frankly, kind of deserves it. “You want me to move out?”
He grabs a napkin, his mouth twisting in annoyance as he wipes at the water. “Yeah. By the end of the week. So Amy can move in.”
I’m being replaced by another girl whose name starts with A. I’m not sure why that makes it even worse, but it does. First Allen got my proposal and now Amy is getting my apartment. I can’t tell if I’m about to break down into tears or go into a mindless rage and upend the table on Parker. Probably both, especially as his words sink in.
“How long have you been seeing her?” I ask.
Parker ducks his head, like he expects me to throw something at it. “About two months now.”
“Two. Months.” My whole world has turned upside down. All this time I’ve been mentally planning our wedding while he’s been banging some other woman.
“It just happened. A dumb work fling, but then it turned into more. I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry?” My voice is veering into screeching territory and I don’t give a single fuck. “You’ve been cheating on me for two whole months and you’re kicking me out of our apartment and you’re sorry?”
Parker glances around at the other diners, who are all staring at us. “Keep your voice down. Like I said, I never meant to hurt you, but I really need you out of my place by the end of the week.”
The absolute nerve of him. He knows how much this screws me over. I’m so upset I can’t even form words. Instead, I grab my wine and toss it in his face. For a second I savor his look of shocked horror that probably mirrors my own, and then I turn on my heel and storm out of the restaurant.
On the sidewalk two men are kissing, one in an expensive charcoal suit, the other in a beige delivery uniform. They break apart as I walk by, beaming at each other, and I catch the name Allen on the front of the uniform.
“Congrats,” I tell them, smiling through my tears. At least one of us is having a good day.
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Stroke The Flame - Excerpt
She’s the chosen one - but she can only save the world by bonding with four sexy elemental dragon shifters.
Chapter One: Kira
I crept through the forest in search of my prey, my hand tight on my bow. Heavy rain left a sheen of water on my face even with my hood covering me, and I wiped it off on my already-soaked sleeve. The storm was getting stronger. If I didn’t find a deer or something else soon, I’d have to give up and return empty-handed. Roark wouldn’t like that.
I made my way toward one of my traps up ahead, stepping carefully through the high brush, keeping my eyes peeled for any game. With the weather as it was, I doubted I would have any luck. All the animals in the forest had no doubt retreated once this sudden storm had come upon us. The only thing left out here would be elementals and spirits—and I definitely had no desire to confront either of those.
When I’d set out a few hours ago, the sky had been clear and bright. Only in the last hour had the storm clouds gathered overhead as if out of nowhere, or perhaps summoned by the gods themselves. I shivered, and not just from the cold that sank into my bones through my soaked clothes.
I bent down to check the trap I’d left this morning and breathed a sigh of relief. A large rabbit had been caught inside. Tonight I’d be fed. Tonight Tash would be safe.
I tossed the rabbit into a sack and loaded it onto my shoulder. But when I turned around, I realized I wasn’t alone. I instantly aimed my bow, my heart in my throat.
An old woman stood before me, her body hunched over with age, her skin wrinkled. She wore a frayed traveling cloak and her white hair escaped her low hood. I might have heard her as she approached, but the storm drowned out all sound except for the pounding of the rain in the trees.
“Can I help you?” I called out to her, lowering my bow.
“Perhaps.” She stared at me and frowned, then looked around her like she was confused.
“You must be lost. I can show you to Stoneham, the nearest town.”
“That’s kind of you.”
I offered her my arm and she took it, leaning upon me. Her grip was strong, even though she seemed so frail I worried a strong gust might turn her bones to dust. I wondered how she had found herself in the middle of the forest in the first place. She shouldn’t be traveling alone, especially not in this weather.
“What’s your name?” she asked.
“Kira.”
As we stepped through the forest carefully, she gazed up at the dark sky, letting the rain wash over her face. “There’s a storm coming.”
I patted her wrinkled hand where it rested on my arm. “I think it’s already here. But if we hurry, we can get out of it. The inn is just ahead.”
“There’s no escaping this storm.” She turned toward me and her eyes were like steel. “Not for you.”
Her words sent another shiver down my spine. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
She held my gaze another few seconds, then waved her hand. “Just the ramblings of an old woman. Nothing more.”
I frowned, but continued walking, stepping carefully through the wet brush. “We’re nearly there now.”
“Yes, indeed we are,” she said.
A rustling sound up ahead caught my attention. I dropped her arm and drew my bow. “Stay back. I’ll make sure the way is clear.”
I took a step forward as I peered through the plants in front of us, watching for the slightest twitch of a leaf or the dash of fur. But there was nothing there other than the relentless rain.
When I turned back, the woman was gone.
“Hello?” I called out, spinning around, scanning the area for her. The storm made it hard to see anything, but there was no trace of her anywhere. She’d just…vanished.
I went back the way we’d walked, calling out for the woman, but couldn’t find her anywhere. There was no sign she’d ever been in the forest at all.
After twenty minutes of searching, with the rain pounding down on me and the wind whipping at my cloak, I gave up on ever finding her. She must have gone on ahead to the village without me. It was the only explanation.
I headed toward the inn, more by instinct than sight at this point. As I left the forest, my shoes sank into the mud and the relentless wind tore the hood off my head. I tried to tug it back on, but there was no use. My hair was already soaked through and I was chilled to the bone.
Lightning flashed overhead, followed immediately by the deep rumble of thunder. I ran for the inn as fast as I
could, but the wind was so strong it seemed to push me back, as if it was fighting my every step. I slipped in the mud and fell onto my knees, bracing myself with my hands. The impact jolted through my bones, and for a second I could only remain there, dazed and covered in mud from head to toe.
As I tried to stand, a bright crack lit up the sky, blinding me. Searing hot pain struck my head and I screamed as a bolt of lightning coursed through me. Electricity spread throughout my entire body, setting every nerve on fire, burning me from the inside out. It raced through my blood and I thought my heart would burst from the power warring for control within me. Time stopped, and pain became the only thing I knew.
And then it was gone.
Deep, cavernous thunder sounded all around me as my sight returned. My entire body shook and trembled uncontrollably. I was covered in mud and rain, the wind lashed at my hair, and sparks still danced in my blood—as if the elemental gods themselves had tried to strike me down, then decided to let me live after all.
I scrambled back to my feet, nearly slipping again in the mud. When I was steady, I grabbed the bag with the rabbit from where I’d dropped it, before stumbling to the back door of the inn. I opened the door with some effort, the wind battling me still, and then stepped inside the familiar warm kitchen that smelled of stew and baked bread. Once the door was shut, I fell back against it, breathing heavily.
I’d been struck by lightning.
Yet somehow I still lived.
I quickly checked my body, searching for signs of injury, but I seemed to be physically fine, even though my cloak was charred and I was in great need of a bath. The only thing that afflicted me was shock.
None of it made sense. Lightning usually hit the tallest thing around, and I was nowhere near that. I’d been surrounded by much better targets. The inn. The stables. The trees. Why had it hit me?
And how had I made it through without a scratch?
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STROKE THE FLAME is coming soon!
Also by Elizabeth Briggs
Standalones
Hollywood Roommates
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Her Elemental Dragons
Stroke The Flame (#1)
Kiss The Sky (#2)
Shake The Earth (#3)
Ride The Wave (#4)
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The Chasing The Dream Series:
More Than Exes (#0.5)
More Than Music (#1)
More Than Comics (#2)
More Than Fashion (#3)
More Than Once (#4)
More Than Distance (#5)
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The Future Shock Trilogy
Future Shock (#1)
Future Threat (#2)
Future Lost (#3)
About the Author
New York Times Bestselling Author Elizabeth Briggs writes unputdownable romance across genres with bold heroines and fearless heroes. She graduated from UCLA with a degree in Sociology and has worked for an international law firm, mentored teens in writing, and volunteered with dog rescue groups. Now she's a full-time geek who lives in Los Angeles with her husband and a pack of fluffy dogs.
Visit Elizabeth’s website: www.elizabethbriggs.net
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Join Elizabeth’s Facebook group for fun book chat and early sneak peeks!
To all my awesome readers who make writing the best job ever!!
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Copyright © 2018 by Elizabeth Briggs
HOLIDAY GUESTS: A Reverse Harem Romance
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All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
www.elizabethbriggs.net
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